A.S. Monaco Unveil Latest Youth Signing!New Youngster Looks To Follow In The Footsteps Of His Idols!

A.S. Monaco have today announced the new addition to their squad of a pacey young trickster from England. The scouts in the principality have reportedly had their eyes on Benjamin Smith for some time, and have been following his progress with interest, as he demonstrated himself to be a hot prospect, through his impressive performances in the lower tiers of English league football. But at Stade Louis II this morning, the manager of the Côte d'Azur side was happy to announce that a deal had been finalised, and that the player, who had already been staying in the region as contract talks developed, would indeed be joining the club for the new season, which commences in just a few weeks' time. We were fortunately able to speak to the 19 year old, following the aforementioned press conference, to ask just how much this new challenge really means to him.

"Oh, I'm absolutely thrilled, I really am. I'm actually finding it all quite hard to put into words at the moment, but I'm completely ecstatic to be given the opportunity to play at this level. I read recently that WEFA had listed Monaco as the 99th best team in Europe in their annual rankings, so this is a massive step up for me personally. I'm so excited to be here at this club in particular though, and I can't thank the staff enough for having the faith and the belief in me to give me this chance. I actually came here when I was younger, maybe about 7 years or so ago now, but I remember falling in love with the area, and I also remember watching Monaco playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League on the television, and seeing them coming out of it victorious, while I was actually staying here. I've felt a real affinity for the club ever since then, and it's going to be honour to be a part of the squad myself, and to have the chance to play in such a magnificent stadium. So many fabulous players have come through here over the years, and I just hope that I can manage to give something similar back to these fans. I've also been a long time admirer of Park Chu Young, so on an individual level, I'm really excited at the thought of being able to play together alongside him during the coming seasons."

You do start Become A Legend mode as a 17 year old, but I wanted my player's age to reflect my own, as he's based on myself, so I did a test run to see what kind of stats you begin with, then made my player on Edit Mode with fair and similar attributes (hence you can see the initial overall rating of 63), but with the added 2 years of age. Then I started the game 'as a real life player' and I will be carrying on normally from there.

At the moment, you don't need to ask permission to start one, so long as you're willing to put in the effort on it and update it regularly. If a lot of them start popping up, where people aren't really putting much time into them, then I expect it might be something you'd have to ask permission for in the future, but for now the quality's been pretty high overall, which is good to see on a consistent basis.

Yep. It's meant to be me. Stats are sort of what you'd expect really. A bit of pace and a fairly decent shot, and everything else is about average. I still wanted to have fair starting stats, like you'd have if you started the game normally, but I just wanted to have the age the same as mine. It's also probably a bit more realistic in that sense too, as in those extra two years there would have been a bit more time to establish his reputation in the lower leagues before really attracting the attention of other clubs.

Despite traditionally being a strong contending force in French football, and often competing for places in European competitions, Monaco have seen their fortunes drifting through mid-table in recent years. This season, however, has seen them regain their domestic form, and at the halfway point of the campaign, they sit in their best league position since 2005. There are a number of theories that provide possible explanations for this revival, but one of the most notable is undoubtedly regarding the new signing of Benjamin Smith. The pacey young English midfielder is quickly becoming a star and a fan favourite at the Stade Louis II, after a string of performances that has seen the side rise to 3rd in Le Championnat.

Following his summer transfer to the club, Benjamin Smith adopted the Monégasque number 30 jersey, and was immediately placed into a series of training games, offering him an early chance to show off his ability to the fans, whilst also starting to build relationships with his new teammates on the pitch. After a disappointing performance in his first match against Anderlecht, who came from behind to win the encounter by 2 goals to 1, he delighted his manager, his teammates, and the spectators, by repaying the faith shown in him with a much improved display in his second appearance against Besiktas, setting the team en route to a dazzling 4-0 victory. In fact, it took just 5 minutes for him to cut inside, away from his marker, to find a completely free space in the penalty area, allowing his friend and teammate Park Chu Young to pass the ball beyond the oncoming goalkeeper, along the 6 yard line, and allowing him to stroke home into an empty net. Coutadeur headed in the second from a crossed Park Chu Young free kick, before Benjamin Smith earned his first assist for the club, crossing the ball in from the left, for Mbokani to head inside the near post. The rout was completed with a wondergoal from Park Chu Young late on, as he spotted the goalkeeper off his line, and chipped the ball over him from well outside the box, looping over the surprised keeper and dipping superbly into the top right hand corner of the goal. Given that the tie was only a training match, Benjamin Smith's first offical goal and assist for the team would still have to wait, but this performance did much to reassure the fans that he would be a player to watch very closely this year.

Benjamin Smith scores his first goal for Monaco in a training match Vs Besiktas

Monaco's league campaign kicked off away to Valenciennes the following weekend, but despite his performance in the previous training match, Benjamin Smith was not included in the matchday squad for either of the opening two fixtures, which both resulted in defeat. After taking part in a third training match though, he was brought into the starting line-up by the manager for his professional league debut in the third game of the season, a home tie vs Lorient, which saw the team's form turned around with a 3-2 comeback win, where Benjamin Smith was involved in the build-up for the first goal with a run down the left and a pass inside that led to a chance that Niculae converted, before a Malonga free kick and a stunning airbourne volley from Niculae late on sealed the victory. Benjamin Smith also played a part in the 1-1 draw away to Montpellier, helping to set up his side's goal, although he could also maybe have prevented the equaliser with an quick clearance when defending a corner, even though he had very little time to react when the ball arrived at his feet. His first competitive goal for the club finally came in front of his home fans against Arles-Avignon, picking the ball up in space, 35m from goal, beating his man, carrying the ball into the box, and letting fly to fire it past the keeper before the chasing defenders could get their tackles in.

Benjamin Smith scores his first league goal for Monaco Vs Arles-Avignon

However, it was in an away fixture to Paris Saint Germain that was won 2-0 in which he really displayed his full potential. With confidence building, and pulling out tricks aplenty, he anticipated that the ball would be headed out of the box from an offensive corner, and when the ball dropped out of the air, he was waiting for it, showing incredible agility to run onto it and unleash a wonderstrike of a volley that looped over the keeper and under the bar. What's more, he showed that this was no fluke by almost replicating it 2 minutes into a training match the following week in a 3-0 win against Sparta Praha, only this time the volley was struck with his weaker left foot, and flew straight into the top left hand corner, leaving the keeper with no chance, and leaving the home fans exhilarated at the prospect of the potential that their new star was demonstrating. Following this game, Benjamin Smith also scored his 3rd league goal for the club in the 1-0 win over Saint-Etienne, and a 0-0 draw away to Toulouse in mid-October also saw him make his full 90 minute debut, though normally playing about 65 to 70 minutes per game on average. In total, after the side had lost their opening two games without him, Benjamin Smith's presence in the team then saw the team go 9 league games unbeaten, despite losing 1-0 in their first round cup game, with 5 wins and 4 draws, in a spell that saw him individually score 3 goals, and earn 4 Man Of The Match awards, before a 2-0 away defeat at Stade Rennais ended the run.

Benjamin Smith fires in his stunning volley Vs Paris Saint Germain

After a few undistinguished matches in the first half of November, Benjamin Smith was initially left on the bench against Stade Brestois 29, but following an injury to Alonso after just 14 minutes, he was brought on early on, and didn't take long to make an impact, getting ahead of one defender, nutmegging a second, and wrongfooting a third, all with just 3 touches, before smashing the ball across the face of the goal from the edge of the box, to score the opening goal of the game. After the team conceded an equaliser, he continued to drive forward, earning his first competitive assist, by passing the ball inside from the left, for Niculae to trap and control, before unleashing a vicious shot from outside the area, to score the team's second and winning goal of the match, before being substitued off in the 62nd minute, having made a short but very influential appearance. His return to form continued with the equaliser in a training match against Fenerbahce that resulted in a 2-1 win, and also by winning the free kick that Park Chu Young converted in a 1-0 win over Lens. Despite this uplift in form, the manager surprised everyone by dropping him from the matchday squad for the away tie against league leaders Olympique Lyonnais, a match which Monaco lost 3-0, their biggest defeat of the season. It is worth noting that Monaco's 4 league defeats during the first half of the season include the only 3 league games for which Benjamin Smith was not selected in the squad.

Despite missing the last two training matches (both 1-1 draws) due to picking up a 2 week injury just beforehand, interest in the young support striker was still high in the winter transfer window, particularly from some of the teams in the Bundesliga in neighbouring Germany, and offers from Hoffenheim, Borussia Monchengladbach and Mainz were all placed, and turned down. It was also revealed that it had only taken 4 league appearances for the Englishman to start attracting the attention of clubs from other nations, and that Real Sociedad had also made a bid that was declined early on in the season. Benjamin Smith reassured fans by telling journalists at a training session that he was passionate about playing for Monaco, that he had made a commitment to the club, and that he had no desire to leave in the foreseeable future. His manager also spoke to us briefly to share his own thoughts on the young star.

"He's got a bright future ahead of him, no doubt, as long as he keeps working hard in training. The great thing about this club at the moment is that we've got plenty of options in the midfield, and so he has to keep putting the effort in if he wants a first team place, and I think that will benefit him in the long run. He's still young, of course, but he's already showing that he's got a lot of potential, and if he can live up to that, then he can go far. He's got a great work rate when he's playing well, and I think that maybe that wears him out a bit sometimes, which can lead to small dips in form from time to time. But he's playing well for the most part, and he's not afraid to put the team first, and track back to defend when he needs to. He's shown that he's got a phenomenal shot on him from long range of course with those two volleys a couple of months back, but if I had to single out his greatest attribute, it would undoubtedly be his ability to find space, no matter where he is on the pitch. Whatever the other team try to do, he will always be open for a pass, and he always manages to find the gap between the opposition midfield and defence, and that gives him the time to open up the game, and create goalscoring opportunites. He's really helped us in this sense so far this season and I just hope that he can keep this work ethic up over the coming months. If he can manage to do that, then the fans might be in for a real treat at the end of the year."

In an incredibly tight end to the season, an unusual number of teams found themselves fighting to qualify for next season's continental contests, with the balance even going right down to the final fixture. While the battle for the league title had long been a two horse race between the country's two most successful clubs, the positions immediately below them were all still up for grabs on the last day. Monaco had spent the winter break sitting in 3rd place, on course to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 6 years, after a resurgence in form in the first half of the season. However, they were unable to maintain this form as the season wore on, and they began to ride their luck by holding onto their league position while struggling to win matches on the pitch, eventually falling out of the qualification places for next season's European competitions with just a month of the season remaining, and finally missing out on UEFA Champions League qualification by four points, and UEFA Europa League qualification by just one single point. Monaco might perhaps feel a little unfortunate considering the manner in which they missed out, and by how close this season's league table turned out to be, but there can be no hiding from the fact that after a fantastic start this year, they will have to try all over again next season. In our winter report, we praised and credited English youngster Benjamin Smith for helping to turn the club's fortunes around, so what's happened since then, when and why did Monaco start to struggle, and where did it all go wrong, that caused them to eventually miss out on playing in Europe's top competion next season by such a thin margin?

Monaco's first fixture following the winter break was a training match again AIK which ended in a 5-0 victory, in which Benjamin Smith showed that he was still in his rich vein of form by winning the corner that led to the first goal, and then winning a penalty and converting it himself, slotting it comfortably into the bottom right hand corner, for the third. However, despite this, the manager had used the transfer window as an opportunity to increase his attacking options in the midfield, and as a result, he began to employ the tactic of strategical squad rotation, meaning that individual players were often only playing on alternate weeks, and even then, often with completely different teammates starting alongside them to the previous game. Although the players have unanimously stated that they respect the manager's tactical decisions, and that they understand that it is important to make sure that every squad member is being kept happy at the club, and being given sufficient playing time, it is possible that this strategy may have upset the rhythm that the team had found so well before the winter break.

Benjamin Smith beats Iker Casillas to score the winning goal at home to Olympique Lyonnais

In the first half of the season, including their cup defeat, Monaco lost 5 matches in total, in 3 of which Benjamin Smith was not selected in the matchday squad, the only 3 occasions on which this happpened. In the second half of the season though, the balance was much less clear cut. In fact, following the transfer window, Monaco won 3 of the first 4 matches in which he was not featured, while in the first 7 matches he did feature, 4 were drawn and 3 were lost, despite setting up 3 goals for his team, and hitting the post himself, as well as having a handful of other chances that failed to find the back of the net. His goal drought was finally ended in an away tie against Caen, when he latched onto a cross along the ground from the left wing, and slotted it past the helpless keeper from close range, a winning goal that also earned him another Man Of The Match award for his performance. He continued his return to form with an assist in a training match against Rubin Kazan, crossing the ball from the left for winter signing Casitolyuk to finish, in a match that ended as a 1-1 draw. However, he was again not selected in the following league game, and the resulting loss to Nice saw the side fall out of the European qualification places for the first time since the early weeks of the season, with just four fixtures remaining.

That was the last time this season that Benjamin Smith would not be selected in the side, but with 2 draws in the next 2 games, the team was left with the mammoth task of taking on the 2 teams that were fighting it out for the championship. Having missed out on the both ties in the first round of fixtures, Benjamin Smith was keen to impress, and did his best to upset the odds by leading his side to a 2-1 victory of Olympique Lyonnais, scoring the opening goal by picking the ball up 40 metres from goal, taking it past the defender to open up a 1 on 1 opportunity with the goalkeeper, and placing the ball over legendary guardian Iker Casillas, to nestle in the far bottom corner. However, in his fifth full 90 minute appearance, on the final day against Olympique Marseille, Benjamin Smith was helpless, as were his teammates, to prevent the game slipping beyond their grasp to a 1-0 defeat, ruling out European competition for the Mediterranean club for at least another year. The season didn't quite end there for the young Englishman though, as his efforts and performances over the last 12 months were recognised and rewarded, by the national governing body, with a place in the Ligue 1 Team Of The Season.

After spending the last two years based at the Stade Louis II, Benjamin Smith has reportedly now been told that he is surplus to requirements at the Côte d'Azur club, and that he will have to find a new team to join before the new season begins. Despite putting in some spells of good performances during his time in the principality, the recent influx of midfield options has seen the competition for first team places rising to new levels, and this combined with the manager's increasing tendency to prefer squad rotation eventually meant that Benjamin Smith found himself frozen out of the side. This outcome will undoubtedly have come as a surprise and a disappointment to the young midfielder, as he has maintained consistently since joining the club that he hoped to be playing there for many years to come.

Benjamin Smith finds the net against Olympique Lyonnais by chipping the ball over goalkeeper Iker Casillas

The season started well enough for the Englishman though, as after turned down a pre-season transfer offer from Europa League qualifiers Bayer Leverkusen, he put in a Man Of The Match performance on the opening day, scoring the only goal of the game vs Stade Rennais, and followed it up in the next match by contributing to the opening goal vs Olympique Marseille too, his shot bouncing back off the crossbar and hitting a defender to go in for an own goal. Despite this though, he was dropped to the bench against Nancy, and couldn't make an impact in the time that he had on the pitch. He was brought back for the following game against Valenciennes, but perhaps feeling under pressure to prove himself, and to help the team be successful, he found himself dismissed for the first time in his professional career, receiving two yellow cards, both for mistimed sliding tackles, as he tried to win the ball back from the opposition, high up the pitch. As he left the field of play, his frustration and disappointment were evident, and his suspension was followed by several games on the bench, as he struggled to establish a first team spot.

Benjamin Smith catches Iker Casillas off his guard from distance to score his third goal in two games against the champions

An assist as a substitute vs Saint-Etienne earned him his highest praise yet from the manager, yet once again he was left out of the matchday squad, and he didn't make another appearance until a month later, when another assist for the winning goal against Stade Brestois 29 won him a Man Of The Match award, and also finally gave him another chance to prove himself in the first team. He didn't disappoint, and in the following fixture, away to league champions Olympique Lyonnais, he put in the performance of his life, as he led the side to a stunning 3-0 victory. Just 3 minutes into the match, he picked the ball up, just inside the opposition half, took the ball away from two defenders, deceived a third, chipped the ball over goalkeeper Iker Casillas from close range, hitting it in off the underside of the crossbar. A quarter of an hour later, he scored his second, the first brace of his career, as he caught the defence out on the counterattack. As an Olympique Lyonnais cross was cleared out to the centre circle, it came out of the air to Siguin on the backline, who flicked the ball on with his head, back towards his goalkeeper, not realising that Benjamin Smith had made a run from his own half that had anticipated the error, and that the header had put him clean through beyond the last defender, who had been level with Siguin at the time. Allowing the ball to bounce into the path of his run, Benjamin Smith then noticed that Casillas was well off his line and out of his own penalty area, and struck the ball first time from distance, watching with the crowd as it swerved delightfully past the hapless goalkeeper, and nestled itself comfortably inside the right hand post. It was the third goal in two meetings that he had put past the famous guardian, and he could have had a hattrick after an hour, but his shot was blocked, allowing his friend Park Chu Young to volley the ball home into an empty net. Needless to say, the performance secured yet another Man Of The Match award, and prompted a lucrative transfer offer from Athletic Bilbao, which was also declined in a show of devotion and dedication to his current club.

Benjamin Smith connects with a delightful Park Chu Young through ball to equalise vs Stade Rennais

In the following game, it was Benjamin Smith's crossed free kick that led to only goal of the match, as Niculae, another of his good friends in the side, provided the finish to seal the win, and the team underwent a great upsurge in form, and they started to rise up through the league positions as results picked up, until one of the most memorable individual performances in the history of Le Championnat ended their run. In the final match before the winter break, Monaco took on Lille, with just a single league place separating the two sides. However, there was only ever one side that looked like taking the points, and there was only ever one man who was in the driving seat. A first half hattrick from De Melo but Lille in firm control at half time, but some of the Monaco side refused to give in, as Benjamin Smith ran at the Lille defence with the ball, first down the left at the start of the second half, which led to their first goal, as the ball bounced to Eduardo Costa who finished first time from 6 yards, and then down the right, winning a penalty that Eduardo Costa again converted. An epic comeback beckoned, but De Melo wasn't to be outshone, turning on the style, teasing the defenders, and twisting them inside and out, before scoring his 4th and 5th goals of the game, tearing the defence apart time and time again, until the match finally ended 5-2. At the halfway point of the season though, Monaco still sat in 5th place, a Europa League qualifying position, and Benjamin Smith again demonstrated his commitment to the side by declining a transfer offer to Hannover 96.

Benjamin Smith scores his last competitive goal for Monaco in a league match vs Nancy

Following the winter break, Benjamin Smith continued in his rich vein of form, scoring again against Stade Rennais by latching onto a beautiful defence-splitting through ball from Park Chu Young that found it's way between six opposition players, before smashing it high into the back of the net, and then scoring once more in his next appearance against Nancy, timing his run down the centre to find space, controlling Alonso's cross into the box from the left, and also taking it away from the defender in the process, and then scooping the ball past the keeper with the outside of his boot with only his second touch. His run continued further in a training match the following week, in which he beat the offside trap with a well timed run, took just one touch to control the ball, and then finished well for the equaliser past the Fenerbahce goalkeeper. However, despite his much improved individual form, these matches would be some of Benjamin Smith's last for the club, as he was suddenly dropped for 5 out of 6 games, with the team winning only the first of them, and the Monégasque side's results slumped dramatically. His presence was still felt when he played, as his through ball in a training match vs Copenhagen led to a penalty being awarded, and he also won another penalty on his own in the league match against Arles-Avignon. He was clearly determined to stay at the club, as reports emerged that he had turned down another lucrative transfer deal with Sampdoria, and also another offer from Parma, but as playing opportunites became fewer and farther between, his growing disillusionment could not be hidden, as he made just 4 appearances in the last 4 months of the season. Monaco eventually finished 10th, and as time on Benjamin Smith's contract came to its end, it became distinctly clear that a renewal would not be forthcoming, and that he was no longer part of the manager's plans. Benjamin Smith will now certainly have to seek his fortune elsewhere, but with the summer transfer window drawing near to a close, his fans will surely be curiously wondering where exactly he will be playing his football over the coming year.